Motorsport | Formula 1

Massa gets new chassis for Canada

Ferrari's Felipe Massa will have a new chassis for this weekend's Canadian Formula One Grand Prix after crashing heavily twice at the last race in Monaco, the Italian team said on Tuesday.

Massa smashed into the barriers at the Sainte Devote corner in final practice and then during the race, with the first accident attributed to driver error and the second to a failed suspension.

Ferrari said on their website (www.formula1.ferrari.com) that Massa's car for Montreal had been built around a completely new chassis at the Maranello factory.

Team principal Stefano Domenicali said the team had also focused on reliability issues which needed to be resolved.

"What is sure is that the team is completely motivated and we are determined to regard what happened in Monaco as an isolated incident," he said.

"Our car has proved to be strong with very good characteristics in the majority of cases, even if at times other teams have proved to be faster," continued the Italian.

"I think the Montreal circuit should allow us to exploit those strong points such as braking, which is a key factor at this track...on the other hand, we must ensure we keep working on the areas where our car is not yet where it should be."

Spain's Fernando Alonso is third overall in the championship for Ferrari, 29 points adrift of Red Bull's triple champion Sebastian Vettel after six races. Massa is seventh and 62 points behind the German.

Ferrari, second in the constructors' championship, have not won in Canada since Michael Schumacher's triumph in 2004.